Let Me Count the Ways
by Analeese Starsky
Summary: REPOST. Her peaceful life in Forks had just gotten a whole lot more hectic. Bella Swan had been abandoned by all the Cullens, she had been left to live out her human life alone and miserable. Seventy years later and she's still the same. Hiatus
1. Prologue

A/N: _So, this idea has been swimming around in my head ever since I read New Moon, I knew, sure Edward came back and all that, but what if he hadn't? What if she had been forced to go through life without him, and we all knew Jake was gunna imprint (later in the book lol), so what happens after that happens? This is what I think the inevitable ending of the Twilight series should have looked like._

_So, yeah, this is gunna be an "Edward leaves, Bella gets changed anyway… Somehow" type story. I may be a little bland in telling it, but tell me the truth please, but no flames. I'm going to try and make this as unique as possible, but you can only make a cliche subject like this so unique before it become generic. Oh well, I'll try, and now, we'll get on with the story. _

_OH! Bella may seem a little OOC, but it's because she's supposed to be more mature._

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do **not **own the Twilight series. This is just a figment of my imagination. I also don't hold any rights to the piece of lyrics at the beginning of the chapter.

_**Let Me Count The Ways**_

_-Where can I turn? Cause I need something more  
Surrounded by uncertainty I'm so unsure  
Tell me why I feel so alone cause I need to Know to whom do I owe-_

**Prologue: Time Changes Things**

It was obvious after two years of existing without Edward that her life entirely and utterly sucked. Bella couldn't remember the last time she had smiled, Jacob had almost saved her, almost, but then he imprinted. Bella was happy for him, truly, she was, but after that she couldn't bring herself to see him again. He had broken her almost mended heart just as easily as Edward had, she had been so broken and torn that she had left Forks, she was running away against her better judgement. Bella got accepted into a University in Seattle and fled Forks, happy to have the excuse of furthering her schooling and she never looked back. She visited Charlie during the holidays, but that was it, she couldn't force herself to be in Forks, it didn't hold her any longer in it's watery, icy grasp.

Her schooling had gone well, it had seemed like she had finally moved on with her life from the view of any person outside looking in. It seemed she had finally gotten over the great injustice the Cullen family had dealt her, and she had gotten over the "break-up" between herself and Jacob Black. She had friends again, and she looked alive, more than she had since the fateful day those ethereal beauties left her life in millions of tiny shards. She went out and partied with her friends like a young woman should, she no longer dwelled on the thoughts of what Jacob Black and his new girlfriend were doing, there were no more thoughts of wanting her rented space heater beside her. She was whole once again, that was what the visions Alice Cullen saw from time to time told her, in reality it was a completely different story. Bella put up a mask of happiness and cheer for the friends she had surround herself with, they had been her protectors from the awful memories that awaited her while she was alone. No one knew of the guy-wrenching sobs that shook her delicate body every night before she went to bed, they didn't know about the nights she woke up screaming one of their names, knowing that they had walked out of her life completely, once by choice, and the other by fate. No one knew, no one, that is, except for Aeron, he was the only one that knew, the only one that could give her a piece of the life she had wanted with the Cullens. He hadn't been able to give her the love she deserved, but he could do one small favor, make sure that she stayed beautiful for her unavoidable encounter with the family who ruined her, his special Isabella. He loved her, but not the way Edward had, not even the way Jacob had, no, his love was entirely different, a father to a long lost daughter. And that was when feelings conflicted with duties and eating habits.

The eve of her ninetieth birthday passed by much the same as many of her birthdays past, ever since her eighteenth. Bella Swan stood in front of the full-length mirror and examined her features with a quiet compassion, unlike on her eighteenth birthday, Bella didn't observe any changes in her reflection, she had stayed in the perfected body of her eighteen year old self for seventy-two years. Her heart, had it been beating, would have been going a mile a minute at the sight before her. She saw a beautiful woman with a heart-shaped face, luscious lips, a die for figure and haunting eyes, eyes that happened to be the oddest out of her perfection. They were a beautiful golden, glowing with wisdom beyond her supposed years and they held such a loneliness that it would make anyone's heart shatter if they were able to look into those eyes long enough to see it. Bella didn't see her perfection as she looked deeply into the mirror, all she was able to pick out were her flaws, her lips were disproportioned to her face, her hairline was awkward with her widow's peak, her hair was flat with little shine, and her eyes were just horrible. They still revealed too much about her feelings and thoughts. The frown that graced her features just further twisted Bella's view of herself, she spun quickly on her heel and huffed to herself as she left the bedroom she had been standing in, the skirt that she had been forced into wearing fluttering slightly behind her as she exited the room. At the end of the hall a young man waited for her, he was perfection in all that he was, his hair was a mass of messy, curly, honey golden locks that fell into his eyes more often than not, his wide smile revealed perfectly straight and white teeth, the dimples that graced his face made him all the more endearing, his eyes were the richest gold that any eye had ever been set on, he practiced hard for that color, and his fresh feeding had made the color all the more deep. The simple jeans and shirt and jacket that he wore hinted at his shape, gently defining the curve of muscles, hinting at the toned abs and the jeans revealed some calf muscle. In all instances, the man was beautiful, and Bella couldn't help the beautiful smile that spread across her pale face.

"Aeron, you look amazing." She said as she walked to the man and gave him a quick and happy hug. Aeron chuckled and returned Bella's hug before holding her at arm's length and admiring her.

"And you don't, dearest? Bella, love, you are still so very modest. Come, we must be going now, it's a beautiful night, and I can't allow my baby to spend it in this dull house like you would prefer." Bella smiled sheepishly and took his offered hand and left the grand house with him.

Aeron had found Bella a little over seventy years beforehand. He had been invited to do a special lecture at the university that Bella had attended, and for some reason the woman knew right away what he was, perhaps it had been from being around the Cullens so much during her high school years, she had chased him after the lecture. They had begun to talk about many things, Aeron had recognized Bella's despair and her shattered hopes of one day becoming a part of the Cullen family. It had almost angered Aeron. He knew the Cullens, he knew Edward, and he couldn't believe that the boy had hurt this girl so completely without a second thought, he mended her. He made her what the Cullens no longer could yet she still longed for. He made her a vampire. It was been quick, very close to her beating heart, he stayed with her throughout her three day transformation, amazed that she had never once made a noise of pain. She was strong-willed, that Aeron recognized, she would be gifted, he knew it, could taste it in the little blood that had evaded his mouth. He had stayed with her during her confusing newborn year, she had been able to adjust to society even quicker than some older vampires, never lusting for human blood once. He understood her subconscious hope that she would still, one day, be accepted into the Cullen brood. Aeron stayed with Bella as she learned what her gift was and how she could use it. He stayed with her even when she was sure she didn't need his guidance anymore. He stayed with her for the companionship, because he just couldn't leave her then. Isabella Swan had become his daughter then, and a new "vegetarian" family was born.

They stepped out into the misty night, two ethereal creatures glowing in the pale light of the moon. The soft drizzle that coated everything made them all the more beautiful, the two lone figures that no one would approach in the small town of Forks, Washington. A teacher at the local high school, and his adopted, student daughter.

A parade of rich cars trailed into the town's limits, heading down the main street of Forks. Bystanders stopped to watch the rich cars with the three moving vans following them as they drove by. Aeron and Bella were no exception, they stopped and followed the parade of vehicles with their eyes, all of the vehicles were new models, the leading car was a black Mercedes SLK 55 AMG, the cars that followed were all as expensive looking, even the dirty Jeep at the end looked expensive under all the grime. The two vampires watched the parade and stealthily followed it to where they were going. The followed them through the town and watched as the cars and vans turned down a path in the woods. Bella froze and backed away slowly, _they _were back.

Her peaceful life in Forks had just gotten a whole lot more hectic.


	2. The Emergency

**Disclaimer:** I do **not **own the Twilight series. Nor do I own the rights to the lyrics at the beginning.

_**Let Me Count The Ways**_

_-Cause I've seen love die  
Way too many times  
When it deserved to be alive-_

**Chapter One: The Emergency**

Aeron's golden eyes narrowed against the misting rain, a low rumble being produced in his chest as he watched the parade of vehicles pass them by. His sharp eyes quickly scanned each window, setting upon the back of a brown haired head, so the Cullens had adopted another member, a member with a heartbeat and a body temperature that was too high for a human, yet didn't reek of werewolf. His body lurched forward without thinking and he followed the group to their home, the unwilling Bella following listlessly behind him.

"So the mighty Cullen family has returned," his soft voice growled out as he followed. His anger at them was completely justified, they had left his poor baby doll Bella broken and depressed to fall into the arms of a werewolf that wasn't reliable. Edward's plan had worked _so_ well, Bella was doubly broken hearted and she was a vampire anyway, Aeron had been the only happy part in Bella's life for a long while. He loved the child so much, and would protect her from any other form of heartbreak that may be thrown at her.

Aeron had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice when the brunette he had been so intently staring at turned around in her seat and her eyes, the blue-grey of the ocean in a storm, met his and held them. He watched as her lips moved, but for some reason he couldn't decipher what she said, she was a mystery to him. Why would the Cullens have a _human_ with them? Wouldn't Bella have been enough? He followed, ignoring Bella's protesting growls and squeaks. She could stay hidden in the background and use her gift to protect herself from being detected by anyone.

"We're being followed." The voice that spoke was so soft that no ears could pick it up, none except for the three other sets that were in the car with her. Jasper turned in his seat and looked at the girl.

"By who Allie? Can you see?" Allie smiled and closed her eyes. Jasper was her favorite person in the entire world, she nodded and opened her eyes to stare into Jasper's topaz ones.

"His name is Aeron McKinnon, I couldn't tell what hers was though. Aeron sired the girl seventy-two years ago, they've travelled together ever since and he thinks of her as a daughter. He seems to have a dignified dislike for the Cullen family, although he used to like them, he can't believe what they did to her, whoever she is. He _really_ dislikes Edward, but he wants to talk to Carlisle, see if he can get sense from his old friend." Allie beamed, proud of herself at siphoning off his past and thoughts, but she was still concerned about the woman that he was with. She wanted to know why she couldn't _see_ this girl, she could see everyone else, but not her. Allie clenched her hands into fists and huffed softly to herself and focused even harder on the woman to no avail.

"I still can't get anything from his companion, it's like she isn't even there, but I can _see_ her with my very own eyes. It's unsettling." She huffed and fell back into her seat, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry Allie, it's probably nothing you need to worry about." Alice's bell-like voice spoke from the driver's seat, their mother, Esme, nodded her head in agreement.

"But I don't like it." Allie frowned, her pale face glowing slightly when color filled her cheeks, she was just so angry at herself, she couldn't help but think that there was something wrong with her powers, like they were fading. She shook her head and _saw_ the man again. She closed her eyes and happily listened to him complain to himself about the majority of the Cullen family. She caught his being shifting to her, his thoughts and emotions were focusing on her, and not for the first time since he and his girl had started following them.

"He is exasperated with me, he doesn't understand _why_ I am here, he thinks I'm a human!" Allie giggled as she relayed the man's thoughts and feelings.

"I'm one of the main reasons he's angry… He wonders if I was a replacement for Edward! If I was supposed to be his mate, oh this man is amusing!" Allie turned to Esme with a pleading look.

"Mama, can I please, _please_ talk to him when we get out of the car? He makes me giggle." Allie allowed her stormy eyes tear up a bit and squealed happily when Esme nodded.

The half-vampire girl withdrew inside herself to contemplate this man. He thought she was a human, he wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't entirely right either. Her mother was a human, but her father was a vampire, a vampire who had experimented a lot, who was still conducting his experiments. He impregnated human women with his seed and his children were born, quickly, painfully, and killing their mother in the process of ripping, tearing, and otherwise eating their way out of the womb. Allie hated that monster baby she had been, always eating, feeding, she had found the Cullens when she was four months old, although she looked more like a ten year old. Carlisle had been so fascinated by her, amazed that she was hot, like a werewolf, her temperature running at about 104 degrees on average, he measured her growing phases until she stopped when she was about two and a half, he was astonished by her rate and she knew he thought she would die because of that, but then they had met Nahuel, her half-brother, and he explained to Carlisle that Allie would stop growing once she reached the physical appearance of a seventeen year old girl. That had been a little over thirty-seven years ago, and Allie had become everyone's baby instantly, they all loved her, especially Rosalie, who enjoyed "raising" her, it was like the blonde vampire had her own child.

Allie smiled, thinking to herself about the time that she had spent with the Cullens so far, she never had to be warned about not talking about Bella and leaving Edward alone for the most part, he was in a constant bad mood it seemed to her, and every year on a certain day he'd go out to Alaska for a week and two days, apparently it was the "anniversary" of when he had left Bella. Then there was the anniversary of her death, you couldn't go near him every June 4th, that was like asking to get the bitch treatment from him! He was so scary when he was angry, but, as Allie had told him in one of their many arguments, he was the one who had left her to "protect" her, and they saw how that turned out, killed eight months after he left her. So much for protecting her. Allie sighed, she constantly regretted not having been able to meet Bella, from everyone's memories, buried so deep in their minds, she seemed like such a sweet and interesting person, even if she was a klutz.

Allie was gifted, it wasn't hard to tell, she seemed to have a mixture of powers. The way she always explained it was that she was like a mix of Edward, Alice and Jasper, sort of. She could read minds like Edward, but she could read things that her subject wasn't thinking, as soon as she decided to read them she knew their entire life's story, she could see their life like a movie in her mind, and she could tell what might happen to them, and once she had read them once she could call upon their person to see what they were doing at that moment and what had happened to them since the last time she had read them. Allie was also able to feel the feelings of the person she was reading as if they were her own. If they hurt, she hurt, if they hated someone, she hated the same person for as long as she was in their mind, it was sometimes bad when they came across another vampire with an absurd dislike for one of her family members, like this Aeron man that she had read, his unusual dislike for the Cullen family had invaded her mind, making her dislike them as well, especially Edward, for doing "this" to her, what ever this was and whoever she was. Allie shrugged to herself and settled back into her seat as the cars pulled up to a large white house.

"Ohh, we're home!" Allie squealed, sitting straight in her seat and clapping her hands lightly, she was very a very hyper person when it came to moving to new places, she loved it so much, and the fact that the Cullens had lived in Forks before she was with them made it all the more exciting for her.

The small brunette girl bounded out of the car as soon as she could and giggled slightly, spinning around in the soft rain.

"Oh, this is so amazing!" Allie cheered and ran up to her brother's silver Audi A4 and knocked on his window. When it rolled down Allie leaned her head into the car and grinned widely.

"Eddie! It's raining! Come on out." Allie opened the driver's door and unbuckled Edward's seatbelt and pulled him out by the hands and spun him around once.

"It's so pretty Eddie, why didn't you guys stay here? It so beautiful and green…" Allie was cut off when a flash of warning crossed Edward's face, of course, rule number 79, never mention the family's leaving of Forks. There were so many rules that floated around Edward, you needed a damn book to keep them all straight! Allie had actually tried to write them all down once, but there were too many to keep track of and she decided to just let it go and let the family warn her when she struck shaky grounds. She had done well enough before, until they had made the decision to move back to Forks. Then it seemed that everything that Allie said set Edward off, so she just tried to respect his space and just treated him as if they weren't moving, that seemed to make him happier around her, although it pissed Allie off that she had to treat him as if he were a temperamental child.

Allie recovered her mishap and grinned impishly at Edward and stepped to the side, subsequently pulling on Edward's arm and sending him into the mud, she was relieved at his inability to comprehend what her thoughts were, it made it so much easier to do silly things without his knowledge before hand. She giggled and stuck her tongue out at her angry brother and skipped away to find the Grizzly. Allie snuck up on her largest brother, as stealthy as a ninja and pounced, the grace of her leap equivalent to that of a panther or other jungle cat. She landed on his back and grinned.

"Hi, Emmy." Allie hugged Emmett around the neck and rested her narrow chin on his shoulder.

Aeron's eyes narrowed as he watched with curiosity as the girl interacted with the Cullen family, the fact that she could even pull Edward out of his car without his willingness made it obvious that she was more than just human, but he still couldn't place what she could be. He suspected the only way to really know was to go to the family and ask them, but with Bella's iron grip on his arm he couldn't get anywhere.

"Bella, darling, you don't have to hold on so tightly. You can stay here while I talk to them," Aeron turned to look at Bella and was shocked to see the blazing hatred in her eyes and in the set of her face. The way she glared at the not-human girl was terrifying, it lessened marginally when the girl left Edward and proceeded to attack Emmett, but the hatred was still there, Aeron could judge why, he would hate her too if he was supposed to be the eighth Cullen, if he had been told that he would be one of them eventually. He shook his head and hugged Bella close, stroking her hair gently.

"Peace, love."

Bella felt her dry eyes burn as she hid her face against Aeron's chest, holding back the dry sobs that threatened to break past her lips, but she didn't, because it wouldn't be good if the Cullens heard her. She released Aeron's arm and stood away from him, she wouldn't hold him back if he wanted to talk to the Cullens, she wouldn't even make him worry for her. She would go with Aeron, he wouldn't have to worry about her well-being and she could face her past and maybe finally get over it. How she longed to get over Edward, but he still had her heart under lock and key, she had to fight to get it back, and the first step would be to face him as a vampire. That would prove that Alice's vision had been right, Bella had eventually become a vampire, but not as part of the Cullen family, and Bella decided then that she would never become a part of the family, she couldn't now, she had mistaken hatred for that girl. The hatred would never go away, she was sure of it, so she would never put the family through that, even if they begged her to join them, it would hurt so much, but she would do it. She had to.

"I'm fine, Aeron. I'll be fine too, let's go see them." Bella took Aeron's large hand in her own small one and walked with him out of the cover of the trees.

A/N: _So, how's that for a cliffhanger? R and R and we'll see what goes on when Bella and the Cullens stand face to face on even ground._


End file.
